Irish Soda Bread

Happy St. Paddy’s Day!!

A day known for lots of green, leprechauns, shamrocks, and, well, drinking, if that’s your thing. But historically, this is a religious day used to honor the feast of St. Patrick and to celebrate Irish culture, of course!

One of the things I loved about going to high school in Brooklyn is that my friends came from so many different backgrounds, countries, religions, and cultures, which exposed me to loads of new things, including this soda bread. The first time I ever tried or even heard of it was when a good friend of mine brought some into school for all of us to try and it was something we all began looking forward to each year!

What I’ve learned is that Irish soda bread is the type of food born out of necessity during tough times when supplies were low and hunger was high. With only a few basic, cheap ingredients and the fact that it is a no fuss, quick bread, it became a staple on many tables in Ireland.

I loved how fast it all came together and in just a little over an hour it was all done and ready to eat. Baking soda, instead of yeast, acts as the leavening agent, and it is activated by the sour buttermilk, giving the bread a soft, fluffy inside. Traditionally it is also made using raisins or currants, but while shopping at Trader Joe’s the other day, I couldn’t find currants, but did find an delicious “Golden Berry Blend” of cherries, blueberries, cranberries, and golden raisins that provided some bright flavors, in addition to the orange zest, and dotted the bread with beautiful, festive colors.

This type of bread has a very short shelf life, so indulge while you can and have a safe and happy St. Paddy’s Day!

I did give it a go this afternoon……wow, even though you said it would be sticky, I thought whoa!!!!! I just used dried currants and it was simply perfect. I had a tough time trying to shape it into a large ball. The taste was amazing! Thanks for the recipe, I didn’t realize how easy it would be. I also used lowfat buttermilk, as I there wasn’t any other kind.

That’s so awesome, Loretta! I’m so happy that it turned out well 😀 It definitely is very sticky when you first take it out, but adding a little extra flour should do the trick. Also, lowfat buttermilk is totally okay, you just needed the sourness from it to activate the baking soda. So happy it worked!

Thanks Justine, I’ll try to send you a picture. I was going to blog about it, but my hands were so sticky and to try to get pictures was a bit of a task, but I did take one of the end product. My husband absolutely loved it. :). I’ll try it again, but this time try to get it more round. I did add the flour, but it was still pretty sticky, but baked a treat :). Thanks again 🙂